AKHAND JYOTI EYE HOSPITAL (AJEH) is the most effective eye hospital in Bihar working to eradicate blindness from the state & as a result reduce poverty. We choose to specifically target and reach out to the poor, blind patients from rural Bihar...

Dr. Lucy Mathen & Ms. Devika Waney have been a constant source of encouragement for the hospital

The hospital receives support from over 400 dedicated individuals – however the major institutional supporters are:

SECOND SIGHT

Founded by former BBC journalist and now an ophthalmologist, Dr. Lucy Mathen, this UK-based charity works only in the world’s worst affected areas of blindness – Bihar and Orissa. This focussed approach has actually made it possible for partners of Second Sight to eliminate blindness faster from these areas. Get to know more about Second Sight at www.secondsight.org.uk

SAVITRI WANEY CHARITABLE TRUST (SWCT)

Founded by NRI businessman, Arjun Waney, SWCT is a philanthropic organisation based in London and working primarily in the areas of curable blindness and mother and child healthcare in India. It is his belief that the greatest prayer one can offer to God is to serve the poor. His daughter, Devika Waney, now manages and runs SWCT with an emphasis on curing blindness in Bihar. Get to know more about SWCT at www.savitri.org.uk

AKHAND JYOTI EYE HOSPITAL (AJEH) is the most effective eye hospital in Bihar working to eradicate blindness from the state and as a result reduce poverty. We choose to specifically target and reach out to the poor, blind patients from rural Bihar. This focused approach on the blind patient has made us the largest eye hospital in Eastern India, and in just a few years.

We have shown that by sticking to our primary aim of eradicating blindness, we can also:

A Sanskrit scholar, Pandit Shukla was one of the first few disciples of his Guru Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya, founder of Gayatri Pariwar. He has been involved in social work, more specifically on issues relating to poverty and women, since the last 55 years and was instrumental in starting over 2,000 Gayatri Shaktipeeths – small centres of empowerment to the local community – all across India. As the Chairman Trustee, he galvanizes the entire board to move forward together on issues concerning Bihar.

MRITUNJAY KUMAR TIWARY

With a background in Commerce and experience of 12 years in marketing, Mritunjay Tiwary is the founder and Head of Projects at the Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital, Mastichak, Bihar, which has become the largest eye hospital in Eastern India in just 6 years. The hospital offers world-class eye care services in the rural heartland despite the absence of supporting eco-systems like mains electricity. He works actively to provide equal opportunities to girls from rural Bihar. Mritunjay works closely with senior staff members, and their vision runs the Education through Football programme, a unique talent creation initiative at the eye hospital which aims to tackle child marriage and other social challenges by providing an alternative to girls. FOOTBALL to EYEBALL is their mantra and Mritunjay was given the Reliance – CNN IBN REAL HEROES AWARD in 2010 for this initiative.

ATUL KUMAR

A lawyer by profession, Atul Kumar provides the legal backbone to the organisation as well as inputs on dealing with the community while implementing projects.

MANBODH TIWARY

With over 30 years of business experience and a special interest in civil construction, Manbodh Tiwary looks after the development of the hospital’s infrastructure.

DR. RAJESH VISHWAKARMA

An ENT surgeon, Rajesh Vishwakarma guides the hospital’s adherence to clinical standards and quality norms. He was one of the first few ENT surgeons in India to complete a cochlear ear implant.

DR. ASHOK KUMAR DUBEY

A professor in medical sciences and with a teaching experience of more than 10 years, Ashok Dubey plays a crucial role in the development of the project into a teaching medical institution.

INDU BHUSHAN JHA

Having worked with women’s development programme for over two decades, Indu Bhushan Jha, provides vital inputs to the hospital’s efforts in providing equal opportunity to girls.

SANDEEP RAJARSHI

With his roots deep in rural Bihar, Sandeep Rajarshi plays an important role in developing the volunteer base of the hospital for its outreach activities.

If the Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital would have been a person, then it would have been my GURU - Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya. I thank him for giving me the strength and conviction to use my old body but young mind for the benefit of the blind patient in Bihar. I have always maintained that my Guru is my true treasure – it is he who powers this fantastic project amidst all adversities.

I am gratified to see the huge number of surgeries the hospital does - but the most important aspect has been the quality attached with these surgical numbers. After all we are supposed to deliver AKHAND JYOTI (literally meaning ETERNAL LIGHT).

Our theory of change is that every person has the right to move from DARKNESS to LIGHT and from IGNORANCE to KNOWLEDGE – restore sight, light up the souland help people improve their quality of life and enable them to overcome ignorance, illiteracy and ultimately poverty.

I am grateful to all our friends, donors and supporters who have time and again come forward to repose trust in us – it is their unflinching faith in what we do and how we do that played a great part in restoring sight to more people from rural Bihar every year. I pray to Gurudev for their well-being and success.

However there is still a lot of work to be done. Our efforts in the next 7-8 years will determine the size of the backlog of blindness in Bihar. I request more people to support us in this cause and make Bihar blindness free. I take solace from the Gayatri Mantra and urge people to understand and follow it – our world then will be a much better place to live in.

Managing the motley resources available has helped in implementing strategic decisions - e.g. the HR initiative called education through football and the protector of sight scheme

RAVI SINHA

Ravi Sinha has over 3 decades of management experience at different levels, is a visiting Professor at the IIMs and is the Chairperson at the Centre for Social Innovation at BIMTECH, NOIDA. His vast knowledge in the field of leadership and strategic management coupled with his bias for social enterprises has helped the hospital make strategic choices consonant with its vision. He has also been involved in leadership training of mid-level and senior managers in the organisation.

The primary role of this team is to ensure that the hospital not only sticks to it’s defined mandate, vision and mission but also maintain the alignment of its strategic choices to them. This team helps guide the organisation towards its vision and ensure that leadership at all levels and the team members work towards it – maintaining efficiency in the work processes while making effective choices for the long-term. The following team comprises of experts from their respective fields:

MRITUNJAY KUMAR TIWARY

With a background in Commerce and experience of 12 years in marketing, Mritunjay is the founder and Head of Projects at the Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital, Mastichak, Bihar, which has become the largest eye hospital in Eastern India in just 6 years. The hospital offers world-class eye care services in the rural heartland despite the absence of supporting eco-systems like mains electricity. He works actively to provide equal opportunities to girls from rural Bihar. Mritunjay works closely with senior staff members, and their vision runs the Education through Football programme, a unique talent creation initiative at the eye hospital which aims to tackle child marriage and other social challenges by providing an alternative to girls. FOOTBALL to EYEBALL is their mantra and Mritunjay was given the Reliance – CNN IBN REAL HEROES AWARD in 2010 for this initiative.

DR. AJIT KUMAR PODDAR

Dr. Ajit Poddar has been in the hospital since its inception and is its Medical Director – the clinical protocols and processes have been framed and is being managed by him. Dr. Poddar has 10 years of experience post MS and has a surgical experience of more than 50,000 surgeries. His role is crucial in achieving the vision of the organisation.

HIMANSHU ASHAR

A chartered accountant by profession and Independent Financial Services Professional, Himanshu Ashar has a vast experience of financial, internal audit and audit processes. He has been working as the INTERNAL AUDITOR for the hospital since 2006 and has been instrumental in framing the administrave and financial systems and protocols in the organisation.

DR. SUNITA CHUGH

With two decades of consulting, teaching and training experience in both corporates and business schools, Dr. Sunita Chugh completed her PhD and is renowned consultant in HR, Management and Leadership. She has been instrumental in shaping the HR systems at the hospital and helps ensure that people, strategies and systems are remained aligned with vision of the hospital.

ACHIEVEMENTS

The hospital is a beacon of hope for both blind patients and girls from rural Bihar

The hospital’s Education through Footballscheme is the only sports baseddevelopment scheme for girls which hasa guaranteed job at the end of it.

130 girls sponsored under theeducation through football scheme.

It also impacts the highest number ofbeneficiaries under the RSBY (Rashtriya SwasthyaBima Yojana) scheme in the state.

The hospital does highest number of Phaco cases in Bihar.

The hospital has the highest number of beds dedicatedfor eye surgeries in the state.

The hospital has the only full functional anddedicated children’s eye unit in Bihar.

Fully functional departments for retina, glaucoma and paediatrics.

86% of all the surgeries done were completed on patients.medically defined as BLIND by the WHO (World Health Organization)–thereby truly making a major dent on the backlog of blindness in Bihar.

In December 2005, a journey called AKHAND JYOTI EYE HOSPITAL (AJEH) started with the dream to fight curable blindness in Bihar, one of the most backward states of India and where widespread poverty, rampant illiteracy and poor infrastructure made the task much more daunting. Resources were limited, but determination was high. The Gayatri temple complex at village Mastichak in western Bihar was small and not considered ideal for an eye hospital. Adding to it, the facts that the location was in a remote village and electricity was non-existent; we needed to work out of our skins to succeed. The best possible remodelling was done to ensure quality service delivery with high levels of safety. A dedicated team slogged it day-in and day-out to restore sight to over 10,000 people in the very first year. We have now restored sight to over 270,000 of the rural mass in our first 7 years and have been able to build up a new, more ideal setup.A lot remains to be done as we keep on asking ourselves “WHY ARE WE DOING ALL THIS”.

It is our belief that every person has a right to move from DARKNESS to LIGHT, and from IGNORANCE to KNOWLEDGE. By giving sight to the eye, we would be able to restore self-respect and self-reliance; this would light up the soul and ignite the minds of such people to try and improve their quality of life by overcoming ignorance, illiteracy and ultimately poverty. We keep reminding ourselves of our VISION & MISSION and continue to draw inspiration from our eternal guiding light, our Guru – Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya.Looking back, it seems unbelievable that we completed 10,000 successful, sight restoring surgeries in the very first year. It seemed a dream – which was translated into reality by a dedicated, passionate and visionary team of 27 individuals. Individuals who are now the pillars of Eastern India’s most effective eye hospital. Effectiveness which has now given rise to the largest eye hospital in Eastern India doing more than 65,000 surgeries annually.

In a medical set-up, quantity of surgeries has no meaning if they are not accompanied by high levels of clinical quality and safety. Clinical quality is at the heart of every surgery done at the hospital and even the free surgeries are done by the latest SICS (Small Incision Cataract Surgery) technique – a sutureless technique which enables the patient to return back to work in 15 days.

The paying patients can opt for the latest Phacoemulsification / Phaco method of surgery – the most advanced technique available today where a patient can attend office in 2 days.The prominent base of clinical service at AJEH is the quick adaptation of newer technologies and make them affordable to the general public. An example is the high volumes of topical phaco surgeries we do across the centers of the hospital ‐ enabling the patient to just use our day care facilities and return back home a few hours after surgery. Patients can also avail of the Micro Incision Phaco surgery which has several advantages over routine phaco surgeries. The use of the most advanced OZIL technology with the help of INFINITI phaco machine has made cataract surgeries safer, better and more predictive. AJEH is happy to pass on all these benefits to the public ‐ thereby making technology and quality the cornerstones of patient service at the hospital. Quality of service at AJEH is further uplifted by the presence of highly skilled eye surgeons and the availability of state-of-the-art equipments.

The patients in turn repose their trust and faith in us ‐ this has been the main reason for the fantastic growth of the hospital and it’s work in eye care. In fact, the high levels of clinical quality makes the location of our hospitals redundant – after all every eye, irrespective of the capacity to pay, deserves the best possible surgical capability.

Combined Quality - Clinical quality is our key differentiator

THINKING OUT OF THE BOX

Chandradeo Gupta, is a PROTECTOR OF SIGHT, an unique initiative where patients, previously blind, and after their surgery, seek out more blind patients from vilages.

Innovation has been the key driver of success of the hospital in environments that have been tough to say the least – absence of electricity, remote locations, high levels of poverty & illiteracy and lack of supporting infrastructure. The marriage of clinical quality and managerial expertise has been instrumental in putting our ideas into action. In fact compassion, innovation and professional management have been the core drivers of growth. Our strategic choices have been guided by the sacrosanct vision we all have ‐ blind free Bihar by 2020. While following an avowed pledge like this, we do bind ourselves ‐ but that is precisely what we set out to do in the first place. Our employees, students and volunteers are true agents of change – they have shaped our response to the blindness conundrum in Bihar, India’s poorest state and the worst areas of blindness. Embedding our values of COMPASSION, QUALITY, TEAMWORK & EXCELLENCE in the work culture, our doctors, employees and students have constantly delivered high quality, high volume eye surgeries. Rural locale notwithstanding, they ensure that the patient gets the same quality of surgery, if not better, you would expect at London, New York or Chennai. Alignment with the hospital’s vision, passion for the cause and the ability to constantly innovate has helped them overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Our team has the right attitude, optimum skill mix and importantly, a bias for action. That is why we have been successful despite constraints, and has given us the confidence to achieve an annual surgical output of 100,000 by the year 2015 – the stepping stone towards achieving our vision of ensuring a blind, free Bihar. The magnitude of blindness in Bihar always meant that our outreach staff would not be able to reach every village. Two of our senior staff members devised and implemented a plan called PROTECTORS OF SIGHT (PoS), whereby our satisfied patients (especially those who were blind themselves) would act as patient motivators. PoS know how to screen the blind and send them to the hospital. All PoS meet every quarter at AJEH to discuss their work in the respective areas. So why do they it? Since they have felt the trauma of being blind, they feel it a duty to eradicate blindness. This work has given them a new goal and made their life more meaningful. 52 year old Chandradeo Gupta, a farmer from Isuapur, Bihar was blind with cataract in both eyes. Post surgery, the joy of seeing again made him take the pledge of removing curable blindness from his taluka comprising 30 villages. Through eye camps and personal meetings he sends 30 blind patients every month to AJEH for restoring their sight. Winning the trust of patients has rewarded us with volume and revenues ‐ this trust has become the base for building up a strong brand for the future. The AJEH Learning Centre has been instrumental in scaling up the skills of our people, while at the same time it has given rise to a locally trained, ready pool of talent ‐ this would be the differentiator in the way we provide service to patients. In the next 5 years we look forward to achieving the following: Annual surgical output of 1,00,000, at least 75% free 8000 Phaco surgeries per year. Increase total bed capacity to 550 across 5 centres. Refraction and optical dispensing at the block level Clinical fellowships & DNB courses.

The Education through Football programme, an unique HR initiative, ensures that the hospital always has a ready pool of local talent to tap into.

In the next 5 years we look forward to achieving the following:

Annual surgical output of 1,00,000, at least 75% free

8000 Phaco surgeries per year

Increase total bed capacity to 550 across 5 centres

refraction and optical dispensing at the block level

Clinical fellowships & DNB courses

AJEH Photo Film - I will protect thy eyes

OUR GURU, ETERNAL INSPIRATION & GUIDE

“MAY THE ALMIGHTY INSPIREOUR INTELLECT TOWARDS THE RIGHTEOUS PATH”

The founder of All World Gayatri Pariwar awgp.org has inspired millions to reform their thoughts for the betterment of self, family & the society. The three principles of good living - imbibing the ideals & values of God, self-restraint & self-refinement and selfless public service - laid down by him have guided us through our work amongst the rural mass. His writings continue to inspire people to solve the problems of life – the magazine titled AKHAND JYOTI (meaning eternal light) has been the torch bearer of his teachings since 1940.AKHAND JYOTI EYE HOSPITAL is a living example of his real teachings – hard-core, verifiable work at the ground level. This single eye hospital project is designed to carry out 4 of the 7 movements of the THOUGHT REVOLUTION advocated by him to make the world a better place to live in – health, education, women’s empowerment & awakening and self-reliance.The hospital’s Chairman Trustee, Pandit Ramesh Chandra Shukla, was one of his very first disciples and initiated into his fold in 1963 – inspired by his Guru, Pandit Shukla established over 2000 Gayatri Shaktipeeths (small centres of public welfare) all across India.We pray to our Guru, Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya, to give us strength to complete our pledge – blind free Bihar by 2020.

As the blind patient is prioritized by the hospital, any blind patient is entitled to a free surgery. The blind patient is carefully screened out by our volunteers / outreach team and referred to a nearby camp. The following procedure is followed:

Free food and stay is provided along with free surgery to such patients

Patients who can afford to pay can use the outpatient (OPD) services available at all our hospital. However advanced treatments like that for retina is available only at Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital, Mastichak.

Our OPD services are open between 8:30 AM to 3 PM across all our centres – you just need to walk in at any of our centres for examination.

AJEH offers fantastic surgical facilities and has special paying wards and day care centres for paying patients. Once your doctor advises you a surgery, you will be taken to a dedicated Counsellor who will guide you to the treatment most suitable for you.

Click here... to know about the outpatients facilities available at our hospitals.

Some patients may be required to undergo laser treatment

LASER TREATMENT

Lasers are widely used in treating diabetic retinopathy. Lasers are formed by an intense and highly energetic beam of light. They can slow down or stop the progression of diabetic retinopathy and stabilise vision. The clinic is equipped with multiple lasers with slit lamp delivery and indirect ophthalmoscope delivery systems. Both double frequency YAG and diode laser are available for treatment of diabetic retinopathy, retinal holes, tumours, Retinopathy of Prematurity, retinal vascular diseases etc.

Click here... to know about the outpatients facilities available at our hospitals.

Some advanced tests may also need to be done

Fluorescein Angiography

This is a magnified photography of the retina using an injectable dye. It helps in confirming diagnosis, to decide on the mode of treatment and evaluate the treatment given.

Optical Coherence Tomography

OCT is used to image the retinal layers. It uses light waves to produce images of the retina, much like sound waves in USG. OCT has opened a new frontier in management of macular diseases.

When light falls on the retina it stimulates different types of cells. This results in different electrical responses. Study of these responses can help us detect which cells are healthy and which are not. This is very helpful in managing patients with inherited retinal problems like retinitis pigmentosa or acquired damage from drugs etc.

Ultrasonography (3D Ultrasound) - To image the posterior segment when media is opaque

Uses sound waves of very high frequency that are sent into the eye and those reflected back are analyzed and displayed. USG is extremely useful in evaluating the posterior part of the eye when, it is not visible due to cataract or blood. It helps in making crucial surgical decisions, too.

Patients with retina problems may need to gofor advanced tests like OCT

Some patients may need to be referred to sub-specialities in the hospital e.g. for retina, glaucoma, etc.Retinal diseases vary widely - some are common and easily remedied, while others are rare, more difficult to diagnose and require more complex treatment. People with retinal diseases experience an array of symptoms, from specks floating in their vision to blurred or lost vision. The most common diseases handled in the clinic are diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, retinal detachments or tears, macular holes, retinopathy of prematurity and retinitis pigmentosa.

Some patients may be requiredto undergo laser treatment

Eye Examination Procedures

There are many different eye conditions; you will need to have a detailed eye examination which could take up to 2 hours, depending on the complexity of tests required. The durations indicated below are an average.

Registration (5 minutes)

On arrival you will be asked to fill in a registration card. Please give your complete permanent address with telephone number. You will be asked to take a seat until our receptionist accompanies you to your vision test. If the patient is below 15 years, you will be taken directly to the Paediatric ophthalmology.

Vision test (10 minutes)

Every patient has a simple test to check your level of vision from an eye chart.

Refraction (10 minutes)

A refractionist will place a series of lens in front of your eyes and will ask which looks clearer. This test determines your exact eye power and determines your level of sight.

Other preliminaryexaminations (15 minutes)

An eye doctor will carry out an initial examination of your eyes, please advise the doctor of any previous medical history.

Vision & refractionare routine procedures for walk-in paying patients

Blood pressure / Eye tension / Sugar test (30 minutes)

This is only for patients aged 40 , we will check your blood pressure, intraocular pressure and a urine test for diabetes. Stages 3–5 may happen in any order depending on the patient load.

Dilation (30 minutes)

The doctor in some cases may ask the refractionist to instil eye drops in the eye. This is to make the pupils bigger in order to get a better view of the inside of the eye. It may take 30 minutes for dilation, you will be asked to wait in the waiting room during this time. You will experience blurred vision for 2 – 3 hours following dilation.

Final examination and diagnosis (5 minutes)

After all the tests have been carried out the doctor will carry out a final examination and depending on the results you will be guided to the speciality clinics.

MIRACLES DO HAPPENAnd Bhagelu Manjhi, a landless agricultural labourer from rural Bihar, is an example. On crutches since childhood (due to polio), and blind in both eyes since the last 10 years, Bhagelu performed three miracles - survive by working in the fields on crutches, work as a human bullock since he lost sight, and walk 18 miles (he had enough bus fare to travel only 22 miles from his village Lakri Nabiganj - the public bus dropped him 18 miles before the hospital as he did not have sufficient fare !!) over 3 days along with his 8 years old son Golu for getting his sight back. All that the hospital had to do was to treat him free and drop him back to his village by the hospital car. We could not free him from crutches but at least we gave his sight back - so that he earns with dignity and is able to get Golu back to school. All it took was a simple surgery done well and the support of Rs.1700 ($28) from our supporter Rajnibhai from Ahmedabad, Gujarat. But the real hero is Bhagelu - for not quitting and the will to improve his quality of life. Bhagelu is now a peon in the village school and can proudly see Golu going to school every day.

People like Rajnibhai (complete name Rajnikant Ratilal Soni) not only think of others who are less fortunate but also like to be deeply engaged in the cause they firmly believe in. Rajnibhai has pledged support for 50 surgeries every year till 2020 – he took the pledge to eliminate blindness from India’s poorest and most affected state Bihar. Rajnibhai wants to be part of history by making an impact in this gargantuan challenge and he says that when the time comes for him to go to heaven and have a cup of tea with God – he will be smiling down seeing Biharis recollect this piece of history.

THE PAYING PATIENT

PHACO MACHINE & TRAINED SURGEONS

A winning combination

Choose Phaco with multifocal lens

Choose Phaco with hydrophobic lens

BANKE BIHARI SINGH

Harinarayan singh

The hospital offers the latest techniques of surgery and has a paying section which well-off patients can take advantage of. Phaco or Phacoemulsification is the most advanced technique of doing cataract surgery and implanting lens (IOL). At Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital (AJEH) we do the TOPICAL PHACO method of cataract surgery where most patients are discharged 1 hour after surgery – this NO STITCH, NO INJECTION, NO EYEPAD method of surgery causes minimum pain. AJEH is Eastern India’s largest eye hospital and does the highest number of Phaco cases in Bihar – more proof that we are the preferred choice for patients for this advanced technique. The latest OZIL technology on the INFINITY phaco machine and our highly trained surgeons ensure that your eye gets the best treatment. You can choose from over 8 phaco lens and packages depending on your medical condition. Importantly you can also decide to go for the most advanced MICRO PHACO technique.

So meet our PHACO COUNSELLORS today to help you understand the Phaco package most suitable for your eye.

I got freedom from spectacles – I can see both distance and near things without glasses.

Seikh Md. Iqbal, Businessman, Gopalganj

I can see things sharper & clearer.

Dr. B. N. Prasad, Physician, Patna

I could see instantly – and got back to my grandson on the same day of surgery.

Banke Bihari Singh, Farmer, Siwan

SHOUTING OUT LOUD APPRECIATION FOR OUR WORK

Dr. Lucy Mathen, Ophthalmologist & Founder, Second Sight, UK

It is no surprise that AJEH produces the same quality of surgery you would expect in Chennai, Mumbai or London. Highly skilled clinicians like Dr. Poddar ensure that.

Devika Waney, Chief Administrator, Savitri Waney Charitable Trust, UK

with an AJEH patient at a village in Bihar.

The Savitri Trust aims to reach the most needy in India and it is therefore a delight to support AJEH, a truly inspiring hospital, whose compassion and ambition knows no bounds. The Trust has been supporting this wonderful hospital since 2009 and look forward to continuing a long partnership in contributing towards AJEH's mission to eradicate curable blindness in Bihar by 2020.

The hospital is the true embodiment of the teachings of Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya – his blessings always remain on the hospital due to the focus on treatment of the poor and the empowerment of young girls in the process.

Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital is an extra-ordinary place. The hospital is dedicated to eliminating treatable blindness. I visited the hospital in August 2012 and witnessed some 300 cataract operations being done every day with excellent results. In addition, I was privileged to participate in the rapidly developing paediatric ophthalmology service, which is beginning to transform the prospects for children with visual impairment in the region. What I saw at Akhand Jyoti is inspirational.

As the Old saying goes "Where there is a Will, There is a way". A humble beginning in 2005 on top of a temple in a make-shift "Eye hospital" in Rural Bihar. The staff first went out to look for Cataract Blind and then brought them to the Hospital and restored their eyesight and also returned them home with their dignity restored as participating members of their family and society. A success story of enormous achievements. The Hospital has reduced Cataract blindness in Bihar by 20% in just 5 years, and, with God's help will help make Bihar "Cataract Free" in next 7 years...by 2020" Eradicate Cataract Blindness in Bihar and Eastern India". Heartiest Congratulations to all the 300 staff and especially to the new Young Rural Women who are now being trained to degree levels who will make the Goal achievable by 2020...AJEH is now a Teaching Medical Hospital, first in Rural India!

Dhara Patel, Gayatri Pariwar Member, New York, USA

I am lucky that I got an opportunity to contribute in such a noble purpose and that too a purpose enunciated by our Gurudev, Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya.

Dr. Sally Webber, Senior Ophthalmologist & Oculoplastic Surgeon, UK

I have had the privilege of visiting AJEH for the last two years to help teach the Ophthalmic technicians and I hope to be able to contribute every year. AJEH is an amazing place, a wonderful efficient hospital miles from any big town dedicated to the treating the blind in this really poor part of rural India. The number of patients treated is incredible, 410 cataracts were done in a single day when I was there. The staff is so dedicated and the trainee technicians in my classes were great pleasure to teach. The development of local women in all the roles in the hospital is a wonderful thing to see. I wish them all the best in reaching their goal of eradicating treatable blindness before 2020.

SO WHAT IS COMMON TO THE HOKEY KOKEY SONG & CHRISTIANO RONALDO? Both are favourites of the girls of who play football at Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital. The programme targets girls in age group of 12 - 16 years. It aims to finally become a hub and spoke model wherein football is used as an instrument of change – targeting gender based inequalities, economic exploitation, malnutrition and child marriage, all of which afflict girls in rural Bihar; in short provide equal opportunities to them. The hub is the main eye hospital center at village Mastichak – a 350 bed tertiary care center& Eastern India’s largest eye hospital, working for eliminating blindness in India’s poorest state, Bihar. This centre trains the girls to become either a professional footballer or an optometrist or both. Women’s football in India does not offer long term career opportunities; but in case a girl makes it to the national team she will be entitled to a government job in the sports quota. To gain this opportunity, the girl needs to break in to the national team by the age of 17 years. An Optometrist is the most crucial element in an eye care setup after the eye surgeon (ophthalmologist). The course they will go through is called Bachelors in Optometry and Ophthalmic Techniques, which is a 4 years professional degree course and which can be entered after completing the Standard XII (A Levels). The course is a combination of extensive theory and practical sessions conducted by in-house ophthalmologists as well as visiting faculty. After completing the course the girl is entitled to practice as an Optometrist and will easily earn £3600 (Rs. 250,000) per year either in a job at the hospital or by doing her own clinic – most of them actually want to work at our hospital only), which is 20 times the AVERAGE PER CAPITA INCOME OF RURAL FAMILIES IN INDIA. This will actually create wealth in the rural areas leading to a greater contribution to the country’s GDP as well as more spending power. Add the fact that they will be instrumental in helping the hospital achieve its vision of eliminating blindness from Bihar. So in either case – whether she becomes a professional footballer or not, the girl gets a guaranteed education, career and livelihood. The girls reside in the fully fledged separate girls hostel in the hospital campus. The spoke are girl schools in the most backward areas of the state. The concept is to introduce two periods of football (of 45 min each) every week whereby girls between 10 years to 15 years are exposed to football as a sport. These periods are conducted by the local physical education teacher who has been trained by our full time football coach. Once the interest level develops and the girls want to be part of the programme fulltime, we select such girls to join full time and reside in our hospital campus at Mastichak. The entire cost of her education, living and training is taken care of by us – the parents have to execute a bond undertaking not to marry the girl before 23 years of age. The objective is to create the role models of change of tomorrow – these girls are future change agents in their respective communities.

AJEH is not only an eye hospital, it is a human growth laboratory experimenting with optimiSing unbound human potential, passion and solidarity.

The only sports based programme in the world for girls which has a guaranteed job at the end of it.

JUST Rs.1800 HELPS IN RESTORING SIGHT TO A PERSON BLIND DUE TO CATARACT

Blind since birth, 8 year old Khushi could see again due to a generous donation from a marketing executive.

A box of sight is a donation of Rs.5500 or $100 which will help us cure 3 blind patients and enables them to see again. It might seem to be only 3 surgeries you support but it morphs into a large impact when you take into account the annual pledge of 50,000 free surgeries committed by over 2000 individuals and institutions. So your small sum is a princely one for us and is priceless for the poor, blind patient. So help us eliminate blindness from Bihar – one of the world’s worst areas afflicted with it. Donate as much BOXES OF SIGHT as possible – and ensure that Bihar becomes free from blindness by the year 2020. Before you choose to donate, we would like to help you understand the impact you would make by reading answers to THE CRUCIAL QUESTIONS.

Lynda Jessop a volunteer from Second Sight, London, UK spares one month every year from her busy schedule to teach English to girls at AJEH, Mastichak under the Education through Football programme.

Volunteering is as important as donating in supplementing our efforts to eradicate blindness from Bihar. To achieve the vision of blind free Bihar, it is imperative to create a locally trained pool of talent, which will serve as the feeder for the human resource requirements of the hospital. We currently need volunteers to teach English & Optometry – a trainer in football will also be helpful. Please contact according to your area of expertise – the hospital will arrange lodging and food free of cost on its Mastichak Campus.

ENGLISH TEACHING

Teachers who have had experience in teaching English language to Asian/Indian children would be ideal for supporting and teaching our young girls. Please write to Anand Singh at learning@akhandjyoti.in or to Sheila Brockelbank at sbrockelbank@gmail.com to know more volunteering on English teaching.

TEACHING / TRAINING – OPTOMETRY

Ophthalmologists or experienced optometrists having a bachelor’s degree (Masters degree preferable) can choose to teach topics which are their strength or volunteer to train or teach on any subject matter on optometry. The students are optometry students in different years of their course, mostly girls. Please write to Anand Singh at learning@akhandjyoti.in to know more about volunteering on optometry teaching and training.

ARRANGE A FUNDRAISING EVENT

Treated patients going back to their villages by the hospital bus. A fundraiser by a software engineer in his company helped us do free surgery on these 150 odd patients.

The blindness situation in Bihar warrants that we continually increasing the number of free surgeries as well as matching facilities every year. Despite the availability of the necessary human resources, we are held back by the lack of adequate funding for free surgeries. You can help us by arranging a fundraising event anywhere in India – the trustees and key people will be happy to go anywhere to seek donations.

One of the best ways you can help in our fight against eradication of blindness is by helping organize a free eye camp at a village in Bihar. Currently we are working in the districts mentioned in the map below. We send our medical teams to the camp organised by you and screen people who need help the most. Subsequently they are brought to the hospital and operated free of cost. To know more and/or organize a camp in any area of Bihar or Ballia/Gajipur (Uttar Pradesh) please callNiraj Pandey on 91 99735 50865.

OUTREACH ACTIVITIES

EYE SCREENING AT SCHOOL OR WORKPLACE

Considering the fact that 30% of India’s blind lose their sight before the age of 20 years and many of them are below five when they become blind, the importance of early detection and treatment of eye diseases and visual defects in young children is obvious. An example of such a visual defect is amblyopia (lazy eye), which left untreated, can result in a child having to live with poor vision his entire life. During a child’s first 12 years, 80% of all learning comes through vision, yet most children have not had a comprehensive eye exam prior to starting school. It is but natural that majority of students identified as problem learners have undetected vision problems. It is estimated that almost as high as 20% of children in Bihar have undetected eye problems including problems which can be easily treated like refractive errors.

Similarly there is a high incidence of refractive error in the adult, working population, which is treatable by prescribing the correct spectacles. Add to it the fact that the incidence of diabetes is increasing by the day and the stress we take daily in our lives, it becomes necessary to have an eye examination every year, especially if you are more than 40 years of age.AKHAND JYOTI EYE HOSPITAL (AJEH) sends medical teams to schools and work places to screen and treat children and adults. You can help by arranging a eye screening at a school or workplace – the screening will be done by the hospital free of cost.

For arranging a screening or to know more, please contact Md Azhar Khan on 91 88099 71398 or Mukesh Tiwary on 91 95723 40396 or e-mail at info@akhandjyoti.in

BECOME A PROTECTOR OF SIGHT

CHANDRADEO PRASAD FROM ISUAPUR, Saran, Bihar refers on average 20 patients every month as a PoS

The magnitude of blindness in Bihar always meant that our outreach staff would not be able to reach every village. Two of our senior employees devised and implemented a plan called PROTECTORS OF SIGHT (PoS), whereby our satisfied patients (especially those who were blind themselves) would act as patient motivators. PoS know how to screen the blind and send them to the hospital. All POS meet every quarter at AJEH to discuss their work in the respective areas. So why they do it? Since they have felt the trauma of being blind, they feel it a duty to eradicate blindness. This work has given them a new goal and made their life more meaningful.

Should you want become a PROTECTOR OF SIGHT and help us reach the unreached, for more details please call Md Azhar Khan on 91 88099 71398.

Timothy Elborne was visiting the Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital recently and interacted with the patients. What's the link? Timothy & four of his friends ran 7 marathons in 6 days - they ran over 240 km across the Gobi desert in China over 6 days. The purpose - to raise funds for free surgeries for the poor at the hospital at Mastichak. And boy, did they make an impact - despite grossly damaged feet and shattered bodies, their indomitable spirit helped raise money for 13,000 sight restoring surgeries for Biharis. We take this opportunity to thank Timothy & his friends, better known here as The Gobi Boys, for their immense effort. We would be needing more efforts like these from all quarters, especially donations from India, if we are to achieve our vision of blind free Bihar by 2020.

New Vision Centre of Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital, Located at Sahras Pally, Ballia (Uttar Pradesh) inaugurated By Hon'ble DJ Ballia Mr C M Tiwari. This clinic will be functional on all days except Sundays and will treat refractive errors & other eye diseases, act as a follow up centre for surgical patients and will refer patients needing advanced treatment to AJEH, Mastichak. The clinic is strategically located to cater to not only patients from Ballia but more importantly patients from the Bihar districts of Buxar & Rohtas.

The hospital has tied up with following organisations for the treatment of their employees / members:

BHARAT SANCHAR NIGAM LTD. (BSNL)

EMPLOYEES STATE INSURANCE CORPORATION (ESIC)

All members / employees of the above organisations can come for free treatment under their organisation’s respective schemes upon production of the specified documents like Smart Card, ID Card, Referral Slip, etc.